After two great World Cup
for Algeria in 1982 and 1986, several former Algerian international
footballers have called for an investigation into whether their
children's disabilities could be linked to medication given them in
their playing days. Eight former Algerian internationals have
handicapped children, former defender Mohamed Chaib told AFP. "We
have serious doubts over the effects of medication that we were given
during training camps," said Chaib, a father of three
girls all born with muscular dystrophy. "We just want the
truth." The players all represented Algeria in the 1982
and 1986 World Cups. Many football fans remember the "Desert
Foxes" team's shock win over West Germany in the first round
of the 1982 competition. Djamel Menad, a striker in the 1986 cup,
said his daughter born in 1993 suffered from agenesis of the corpus
callosum, a condition that causes seizures and muscle weakness. Menad
said it seemed unlikely to be a coincidence that several other
players his age had children with disabilities and blamed the
medications doctors handed out. "Since I discovered I was
not alone, I began to ask myself questions," he said.
Severe charges pending against the National coach in 1982. Gennady
Rogov had been assigned to the Algerian football federation by the
Soviet Union which was then an ally and supporter of the Algerian
regime. Dr Hanafi recalled: "Rogov brought with him a
Soviet doctor who, very early on, would not let us see the dossiers
and papers they worked with. I sent a report to the head of the
national sports medical centre and to the Ministry of Sport. They
told me to Rogov and his doctor well alone". Algerian
authorities have never commented on the allegations and by the way
they had hushed the matter up. Just below all the Panini Stickers of Algeria team in the Mexico 86 album. Click on the picture for a better quality :